Forum Post: Occupy Fort Collins Activist Arrested for Arson
Posted 13 years ago on Nov. 5, 2011, 1:46 p.m. EST by nikka
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Investigators arrested a 29-year-old man associated with Occupy Fort Collins on suspicion of setting the Oct. 24 fire that destroyed an Old Town condominium complex and severely damaged another.
Benjamin David Gilmore, 29 of Fort Collins was arrested last night and is suspected of first-degree arson, second-degree burglary and criminal mischief in connection with the fire, which burned the building at 311 Mason Street and damaged the next-door Penny Flats residential and mixed-use retail building.
Gilmore, a registered Republican, was an early supporter of Occupy Fort Collins, which has set up camp a block away from where the fire burned. Tuesday, he addressed City Council asking the city to be more accommodating to the movement. In an online video featured on www.tri1025 Gilmore said he was frustrated by the income disparity between executives and workers, and told people they should turn in their paper money for gold and other metals.
"We are taking over Fort Collins Incorporated and establishing Fort Collins Unincorporated," he said in the video.
According to a news release, investigators established probable cause and Gilmore was detained on a court order Thursday. He was transported to the Larimer County jail at about midnight.
Gilmore is being held on a $250,000 bond and is set for an advisement hearing in court this afternoon.
As a result of the joint investigation, the cause of the fire has been classified as incendiary; a fire which was intentionally set.
The damage to the building is estimated at approximately $10 million.
Hey, here's a guy who is addressing the local town leadership with legit questions and requests, next thing you know he's arrested for arson! Did some corporate leader find a scapegoat and burn his own building, which by the way was housing several homeless people. No need for the costly eviction process now. Leaves a lot of questions unanswered.